


What Dean Winchester Did With His Freedom

by mornalane



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29117145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mornalane/pseuds/mornalane
Summary: This story takes place after Episode 15x19, and acts as my closing of the series. Just a bit of fluff to replace a horrible ending. Dean Winchester is finally free. There is no author to his story, well, other than himself. What is the first thing that he wants to do with the rest of his story? His choice is clear, but does he know why?
Relationships: Destiel
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	What Dean Winchester Did With His Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the characters in this story. Sorry, but no smut in this one. I love Destiel smut, but that's another story. I'm just a rabid fangirl, who believes they should get a happy ending. Of all the couples ever dreamt of and written, Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel deserved a happy ending.

‘I’m a free man,’ Dean thought, happy as he turned out the lights. The bed felt softer than it had ever been, his body lighter. ‘The world isn’t crashing or coming to an end. Tomorrow will be the day that I make. No sadistic asshole writing my constant suffering. No Chuck torturing the people I care about.’ It was a happy thought, until visions of Cass in those last moments filled his head. ‘The dumb S.O.B. was happy pouring out his feelings and letting the Empty drag him away.’ Dean’s vision was clouded by tears, so he shut them tight. “Why did it have to come to that?” he asked the empty room. ‘I’m not going there. No way, I don’t have to.’ He wiped the tears away. His mind was made up. 

“Jack,” he called out, “I’m getting Cass back. You hear me? I’m getting him back.” 

*******

Sam could smell bacon. He turned over to look at the clock. “Dean is cooking at 6AM?” He turned back over with a smile on his face. “Ok, I’m up.” 

Thirty minutes later, Sam was in the kitchen. Dean had eggs, pancakes, and bacon stacked on plates.

“Mornin’ Sammy!” Dean pointed to the empty plate closest to the door. “Dig in, I’m almost done.”

“Enjoying the free life, I see.”

“Yep! Here,” Dean carried over the pancakes and started stacking them on Sam’s plate. “Live a little. You’re going to be busy when Jack shows up.” Dean set the pancakes on the table and returned to the counter for the bacon and eggs. 

“We have plans?”

“Yep, going to get back the people we lost.”

“I got a message from Eileen last night. I thought I might see her later today. There were a lot of texts coming in last night.”

“Ooooh.” Dean gave Sam a wink, “I got a lot of messages, but I didn’t get a text from Eileen.” He then grumbled to himself, 'Where’s Cass, kid?' 

“By people, you mean Cass?” 

“Bet your ass. Nothings keeping me from going after Cass.”

“How are you planning to do that? I don’t mean to kill your good mood,” Sam waved his hands over the plates of food. “But how do we get to the Empty? And, how do we get Cass out when we get there?”

Dean was shoving bacon in his mouth, took a second to chew, and then talked around it, “Not sure, but I prayed to Jack for a way to do it.”

“Your own personal Jesus, huh?”

“Yeah, sure is, Joe.”

“Can I have a plate,” Jack said, making Dean jump in on the bench beside him.

“Son of a bitch, you gonna start doing that to me now?”

“Sorry, I’ll give warning next time. It’s going to take some getting used to.”

Dean wiped his mouth, “It’s fine, Cass did that a lot. Drove me crazy.” Dean tried to smile as he patted Jack on the shoulder. “I’ll get a plate.”

“Well, I want to ask you something before we go?”

Dean was facing the cabinet, the way Jack said that made he paused before reaching for the plate. He suspected what was coming and braced for impact.

“Um, could you tell me how Cass ended up in the Empty? We didn’t really get the story.”

Dean turned and headed back to the table, avoiding all eye contact, answered, “like I told you, he summoned it and it drug him and Billie away.”

Dean sat the plate down and started loading it for Jack. Jack watched as Dean was being overly generous with the amounts of food. “Dean, I’ve met the Empty, remember?”

Dean had a piece of bacon halfway to Jack’s plate when he stopped moving. Sam saw the pause and looked up at Dean. Dean recovered, sat the bacon on Jack’s plate, and sat down in front of this own plate. Both Jack and Sam were watching him. Dean’s throat tightened. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to act. He didn’t want to relive the failure. He regretted standing there, in stunned silence, while Cass showered him with praise. The tears were already threatening to show. He couldn’t admit how helpless he had been. 

Sam saw the walls going up. The emotion Dean was forcing down was showing more than usual. He knew that wasn’t a good sign. Whatever had happened in the panic room was too much for his brother. 

“Dean,” Sam started.

Dean pushed from the table, keeping his back to them. “I...Cass Summoned the Empty and the Empty absorbed Billie, and then Cass. He did it to save me, like his stupid ass always does.”

“Dean,” Jack said, while he looked across the table for Sam’s reaction, “What did he do to summon her?”

Sam wanted to know, but didn’t want to push Dean too far. Though he knew that Dean would go after Cass, the happiness Dean had shown moments ago was something Sam didn’t want to see disappear. So he asked, “Jack, why did you need to know this now? Cass can fill us in when we get him back.”

“Because, Cass didn’t tell you that he made a deal with the Empty to save my life. He agreed to exchange his life for mine. The Empty didn’t want to take him right away.” Jack looked at Dean, who was still not looking at them. “She said when Cass finally let himself be happy, she would come for him.”

Sam let that sink in. He looked at Dean. He could see Dean’s body shaking. Dean’s hands were gripping the counter. 

“Cass didn’t think he had to worry about happiness, because of all the chaos and fighting. It was one thing after another, so he didn’t want me to worry about it. He never told me what he thought would make him that happy.”

Dean kept his eyes focused on the dirty dishes. He tried to breathe. ‘Keep it together. You can’t do this now.’ 

“You think he found his happiness when Billie was…”

“Trying to kill us.” Dean’s voice was very low. It cracked when he said, “us.”

“I know it’s painful, Dean, but I need to know what made Cass so happy that the Empty came to collect him?”

“Jack,” Sam cut in, returning his eyes to Jack, “maybe we missed something? We really didn’t think about the Empty. It might have been a spell we missed.”

“But Cass thought about it last minute, didn’t he? Two of my dads found a way to summon her. I need to hear how, and I need to hear it from Dean.”

Sam thought about how he felt when he had picked up Eileen’s phone. He couldn’t face her loss at the time. He watched Dean shift and fidget at the counter. He watched his brother and the question was answered for him. You didn’t hurt that much unless you lost someone you lived for. 

“Dean,” Sam took a deep breath and tried to sound as comforting as he could. Looking at the table, he said, “I know…”

“He said it was me.” Dean whispered, fighting to get enough air to force the words out. “He said it would be enough to just be. To say it. I wanted him to be wrong.” Dean turned, fighting to keep it together, he leaned back on the counter, “He sacrificed himself by confessing his love to me. While he told me how great I was, I stood there hoping that he was wrong.” Dean covered his face with his hands, “He was happy telling me how loving and selfless I am, when he was offering up his life. He was risking everything and I did nothing. He wasted it all for me.”

Dean turned and frantically started moving items on the counter. He reached for the bowl that he’d been happily mixing pancakes in and tossed it across the room. 

“Dean,” Sam stood.

“No! No, don’t tell me it was his choice. Don’t you dare. I couldn’t say anything to him. I couldn’t stop him. I wanted to stop him. I wanted…” Dean’s voice broke off. The emotion was too much. He dropped to the floor and pulled his knees up to his chest. He couldn’t breathe and the pain in his chest made him feel like he was dying. 

Jack stood and walked over to stand next to Sam. “Do you feel the same way Cass does?”

“Wa...what?” Dean, fought to get more air in his lungs.

“Do you love Cass the way he loves you?” There was no emotion or judgement in Jacks words.

“Why did you ask that?” Sam was puzzled. 

“If Cass found happiness in admitting his love for Dean, but was brought back without that love being returned, how do you think he would feel about that?”

“I…” Dean shook his head, “I need him back. Why…?” Anger finally came to the rescue, replacing the helplessness. “I can’t do this. Let me know when you’re done waiting.” He pushed himself to his feet and made for the door. With a final yell, “I’ll get him back myself, if I have to.” 

Sam put his hand on Jack’s shoulder, “Give him some time. He needs to deal with the reality of it.”

“I know.” Jack turned and smiled at his third dad, “I’ll warm up breakfast.”

********

Back in this room, Dean let the pain loose. Tears ran down his cheeks, while he pounded on his closed door. 

“What kind of question is that? Do I love Cas? He’s family, of course, I love Cass!” He paced next to his bed and continued the angry rant, 

“They know I love Cass. How could they ask me that?” 

Normally his anger would keep him going, but not now. Loss hit him like a train crashing into him. He sank to the floor and stared at the empty bed. His pride, once again, crumbled. He knew why Jack asked. He never thought he’d need to answer it, because he never believed it could be an option. Years of flirting and dancing around the issue were being seen differently. It hadn’t been a one sided thing, like he thought. Cass had been holding back, thinking he couldn’t have his feelings returned. Chuck’s writing didn’t give them the courage to believe there was a place for love in the story. 

‘Damn it, I get it, kid. I do. I can’t have a broken Cass. I love him back or he stays gone.’

The room was suddenly freezing, and lonelier than it ever seemed to be. ‘Is this my Empty?’

********

Sam and Jack were finished with breakfast. The kitchen was clean, and they had moved into the front area of the bunker. Setting at the end of the table, which had their names carved into it, Jack was telling Sam how he planned to slowly correct Chuck’s mistake of writing himself into the story. 

“I’ll let his memory fade little by little, so people won't feel betrayed and angry. I’ll give them other things to focus their hopes on. I thought I’d visit Rowena and get an idea of what failed before. Ya, know, what made people so unhappy that they started being cruel to each other.” 

“Sounds like a good idea, kid.” Dean said, walking into the open area of the large room.

“Hello Dean. I’m glad you finally came out.” 

Dean chuckled at the choice of words. “You sound like Daddy #1, when you do the, hello thing.” He added the air quotes.  
Jack smiled. 

“How ya feeling?” Sam asked, pushing a chair away from the table for Dean to take.  
Dean didn’t sit, only put his hands on the back of the chair. He took a deep breath and answered, “For a long time, I think I knew, but was afraid to hope for it. I actually think he tried to tell me more than once, but chickened out. I didn’t want to put hope where there might not be any, so I didn’t push. I almost told him back when we were looking for the Leviathan Bloom in Purgatory. We got separated. I was so happy when I found him. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me then, but he stopped me. I know why he did now, but back then I thought he didn’t want to know.” He backed up and wiped his face with his hands, “Hell, I thought I was relieved that I didn’t have to say it. I could’ve lost him when we walked out of Purgatory, if I had.” He paused for a moment and allowed himself to set down. He laughed sarcastically and he shook his head. “Then I was stuck in that room, hoping that if I just kept quiet. If I just didn’t say anything back. Maybe it would be enough to prove him wrong. I cried like a little bitch instead.” Dean stood and began to pace, “How the hell did he expect me to act? I was overwhelmed. How do you respond knowing that the person you love is going to die, if you give him what he wants? No matter what I said in that moment, I was going to lose!” He turned to face them, “Jack, I didn’t know what would hurt more, losing him to Billie or to the Empty. Billie I could fight. If Cass was wrong, I could fight.” He leaned forward, his hands flat on the table, and begged, “Just bring him back. I need him to be here. I love his stupid ass!”

Sam coughed and tried to cover a laugh at the poor word choice.

“Oh, grow up.” Dean pushed back and glared at Sam, “I’m spilling my damned heart out here.”

“Ok,” Jack raised his hand to snap his fingers.

“Whoa, wait! I have a plan. I want to do it a certain way.”

********

The Empty, still holding on to the guise of Meg, was shrieking in pain. The noise from all the voices was making her miserable. Her throne was gone. She was curled up into a ball with her hands over her ears. The madness of the voices in her head had her twisting and rocking in an attempt to comfort herself. Jack knelt beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The Empty jerked up right, shocked that he was there. 

She suddenly smiled. “You killed him?”

Sam answered, “Close enough.” 

“Make it quiet again. You have the power to do it now, don’t you? Make it stop! I just want to go back to sleep.” She leaned towards him and grabbed his arms in her desperation. 

“I’m here to help, but we need something from you,” Jack said.

“Of course, you do,” the Empty released him, and turned to growl at Dean, “You're here for him aren’t you? I knew you’d find a way to get him out of here.”

“Just give us Castiel and you go back to sleep,” Dean said with a smile.

Jack reached out and got her attention again, “I promise I’ll make it stop. I’ll take some and put them back where they belong, the rest will sleep. I will make it quiet again.” 

“Billie stays. She screwed me over, so she stays.”

“Done,” Dean clapped his hands, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Sure thing, Prince Freaking Charming,” the Empty smeared at Dean.

Cass’s body started to rise from the dark, inkiness of the Empty. Dean moved towards him, bending over Cass’s motionless body. 

Cass opened his eyes to the vision of a smoldering smirk on Dean’s face. He closed his eyes and groaned, “Stop, don’t torture me. I’m already dead, isn’t that enough?”

“Wrong, time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” Dean reached out and pulled Cass to his feet. With a laugh, Dean pulled Cass into his arms and held him tight. 

Cass saw Jack standing next to Meg for one moment, then he was back in the bunker with Dean’s arms still tight around him. 

“Dean!”

Dean leaned back just enough to look into Cass’s eyes, “Yep, I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from emptiness.” 

Cass smiled and wrapped his arms around Dean in relief. Resting his chin on Dean’s shoulder he said, “Thanks for returning the favor.” When Cass noticed that a very awkward looking Sam was in the room, he attempted to back up. However, Dean didn’t let go. Dean seemed to be content to keep his body tight against Cass’s. He cleared throat nervously and offered an uncomfortable, “Um, hello Sam.”

“Welcome back Cass. I’ll be going to see Eileen now. Have fun,” Sam waved and spun away. He all but rocketed himself out of the room. 

“Uh, Dean,” Cass swallowed nervously, “You don’t normally hug this long.”

Dean whispered into his ear, “it’s not a normal day.”

Cass took a chance and slid his hands around Dean’s waist. “So, you’re gripping me tight and raising me from emptiness?”

“That’s my pickup line, and I’m sticking too it.”

Dean’s voice was deeper than Cass remembered. His lips were very close to Cass’s ear. Cass took a deep breath, “Pickup line?”

Dean loosened his grip on Cass, but didn’t let go. After brushing his cheek against Cass’s, moved back just enough to look into Cass’s face. “What does your true happiness look like, Cass? Try telling me again. Chuck is gone and Jack is the new man in charge. Say it when the world isn’t ending and falling apart all around us.”

Bright blue eyes searched Dean’s face, hope burning behind them, “You’re not letting me go.”

“No, I wasn’t planning on it. Did you want me to let you go?”

“No, I’m very happy right where I am.”

“Wanna elaborate on that ‘something you can’t have?’ I have a feeling you might get lucky.”

Cass smiled and shyly looked down, “you’re so bad.”

“I could be badder.”

“Oh, yeah?” Cass giggled and tried to get way.

“Oh, I think we need to order a pizza.”

“Ah, you are such a tease.”

“I’m not the one who’s squirming and pretending to be shy.”

“Good point.”

“Enough talk,” Dean laughed and backedCass towards the table, trapping him there with a long overdue kiss.

“Wait, on the table?”

“What? It’s a sturdy table. Where else would I lay my pizza?”


End file.
